Moments

Heather Modlin

I am writing this in the aftermath of the disastrous ambush of President Zelenskyy by Trump and Vance. I am horrified, appalled, disgusted, dismayed – there really are no words to describe the lunacy that currently exists in the White House. So I was going to devote this editorial to a rant about the state of the world. Just thinking about what I was going to write, however, made me tired. And sad. And dejected. So, I reconsidered my plan.

Everyone knows about the problems we are currently facing, as a planet and a civilization. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the enormity and complexity of the issues. It is also easy to lose hope, to feel helpless, to believe that we have no influence on the state of the world. Fortunately, I am a child and youth care worker. I know that change occurs in moments. It occurs through safety and connection. It occurs when individuals have experiences of themselves and others that are different from their previous experiences. In that regard, we all have the power, moment by moment, to change the world.

In my organization we employ over 250 child and youth care workers who know about the power of moments. They work purposefully, every day, to create meaningful experiences for young people and families. They celebrate each achievement, no matter how small, and often share these with the group (including pictures) so that everyone can feel inspired. Below are examples of these messages (names have been changed):

Tonight was self-care night! We did facials, pedicures and relaxed by the fire with hot chocolate. I love my job.
Bobby showed selflessness and dedication shoveling the driveway today. If you are snowed in and need a Superman to get you out, just call on Bobby.
Ryan has been with us now for about 3 weeks (and 3 snow days!)! He's enjoying a cool blanket fort this afternoon to ride out today’s stormy weather.
Little Johnny has transitioned from riding bikes to confidently riding an ATV. His adaptability and infectious sense of humor never fail to bring a smile to everyone around him.
Today Kevin was open to trying new things outdoors and tried cross country skiing. Although we all fell many times, many laughs were shared and memories were made.
Chris is such an amazing kid, we wanted to share with you all the shenanigans of our weekend so far. He offered to cook supper for us today! Yesterday we went out for wings followed by a back yard fire with a playful snow fight challenge! (I lost as you can see). He has been telling us about his fun night with Bill and Beth last night and all the "jump scares" and Bill not loving the scary movies. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO.
We may have amped up Christian’s dance parties with some fancy disco lights lol.
William jamming to his music on the drive to school with me and Robyn. Our little cutie!
Tonight Mr. Shawn wanted to bake a cake so he can share it with his friends in school and staff tomorrow. The before & the final product. We are opening up Shawn bakery branches soon!
Martin is kicking our butts at monopoly tonight. He's determined to win and is tossing around money like cold water.
Yesterday evening we enjoyed some homemade pizzas for dinner! The youth engaged in the creating of their pizzas, picking out the toppings and getting them all dressed up and looking delicious! Mr. Edward also had the fabulous idea of creating homemade dessert pizzas. He was thoroughly engaged in going to the grocery store with staff to pick up some yummy, sweet toppings for these! They were a hit in our home!
Dave gave me a personal concert while I was finishing up my work this morning. I love our mornings lol.
Here is a small glimpse of Nalujuk night January 6th, 2025. The Nalujuks venture outside to reward the good and chase the "bad" (this goes on for hours). Absolutely amazing to have the opportunity to be here and be a part of this tradition.
Today we attended the family Christmas gathering with all extended family. We are touched to get a gift for the team from our mom. Her sharing how appreciative and grateful she is for us and the care we give the kids means more than words can express. I am so grateful to be here for these experiences and gatherings during the holidays!
I had a wonderful supper date with our football player, Mr. Jeff. He has been doing great and he deserves a lavish treat. Cheers!
We have achieved another goal. Today at hockey Braden was promoted as a captain assistant, so he asked to be called Mr. Assistant from today!!!! He baked a cake for the first time!!! Bravo, Mr. Assistant!!!!
Jody, Kelly and Bonnie had a great weekend decorating their Christmas tree and wearing matching pjs what a wonderful time and so much love shared between siblings. It's truly heart warming.
Today we made some homemade ornament wreaths and I wanted to show off the beautiful wreath that Alex made for the house! She spent all afternoon on it and it's absolutely stunning!
We had a great time at our Halloween party of games, potion making, and trunk or treating!
I can’t not share how Brian cooked food tonight "in case I will be hungry". He said because I took care of his hockey equipment he is going to take care of me. I swear I’m proud of him!!!!!
I am so excited to share my experience with Charles. I have no picture to share this time, but my words will allow you to draw many photos of my day with Charles. Yesterday, I was on call, and there was an open shift with Charles, the program that everyone was afraid to go to because of some incidents that happened in the past year. Before the shift started, I reviewed UMAB techniques and TCI to be ready; from what I heard, I assumed I would need to apply at least one of the techniques during this shift. The photo they drew in my head was not applicable to Charles these days. He may have been challenging in the past, but that's over now! At the beginning of the shift, I met Charles at the front door with his staff Zane, and he greeted me by shaking my hand. Then, he went to do his activities independently, and Zane provided me with all the information I needed. After a while, Charles came to the living room and started chatting with me about many things, such as soccer, video games and computers. Then Charles invited me to play FIFA and Fortnite with him. We spent a lot of time chatting and playing. I went and checked Charles’ logs in the past year and this year, and between what I have seen in the logs in the past and what I have seen in reality now, it is a considerable change. For a while, I thought I was in the wrong program. Thank you a lot to all the members of the Charles’ team for all the challenging and fabulous jobs they have done with Charles and for improving my passion for working harder to see all of our young people living the lives they deserve. I hope everyone will have the experience I had with Charles and improve their passion.
We had an early Thanksgiving dinner at the group home today. We have some young people going for family dinner tomorrow, but wanted to still have the opportunity for everyone to sit and eat together in the program. And I'm so glad we did! We had all our young’uns not only eat the same meal together in the same room (a very rare sight around here), but they all gladly participated in going around the room to give personal thanks before sharing the meal!
I'm grateful for Timmy’s help with supper today, which followed an interesting discussion we had earlier on my second shift, about gender roles in cooking; he believes cooking is a women job. Although we may have differing opinions, I appreciate his willingness to lend a hand and support me in this task, maybe I changed his mind about it.
Something to share and brighten your day! James has been stating he wants a microphone and says he wants Santa to bring him one. James and I have been using everything as a mic while rocking out together (I even balled up my sheet one day and belted out Carry On My Wayward Son. He copied me with his own sheet today). Well, today I told him I would make him one. Behold my masterpiece lol! A microphone made from Saran Wrap and tape! And well, black marker which didn't work well. Who knew Saran Wrap and tape could make a 7 year old the happiest child in the world! He just had to put on a concert haha! Enjoy!
Here is a photo of Amy enjoying herself at the trampoline park with Frank! This is HUGE for her as she doesn't do well in crowds or over stimulating areas. Although, facing many changes this week she's still smiling and doing her best - which has been wonderful!
I've really been trying to get Steve to try new things. Tonight, we had homemade chicken curry! I've already got him hooked on Thai food and now he's loving the Indian food. He even made himself a curry taco with the naan and asked for cilantro after seeing me put some on mine. "I like lettuce!" Haha. Had to get him to try it first in case he had the gene that makes it tastes like soap. He was loving it so much! Did my heart good so I thought I'd share!
Today, Rachel got her very first pet! She has been thinking about this for months and today was finally the day! She helped us do research on what sort of supplies we would need for her Fancy Goldfish! Rachel set up his tank, and picked out all the decorations, she decided to name him Brainey.
Today we had a family funday/BBQ! We had water balloons, a slip and slide, catch with the Velcro pads, badminton, the trampoline, and some wonderful company! Brenda, mom and her siblings came to enjoy a wonderful sunny day with some good quality time together.
Full bellies and full hearts here today! What an amazing birthday Todd had. From getting a birthday cake celebration at midnight, going shopping to pick out some new Blundstones, to celebrating with a birthday lunch at a restaurant with his team (thanks to you all). This is huge for Todd as he has severe social anxiety and has not been out to a restaurant to eat in years. He didn't even mind being sung to at the restaurant. SO PROUD OF HIM!!!
Last night Ruby attended the Shania Twain concert and stayed out until 930pm! This was huge for her as she is a gal who gets ready for bed at 8pm and is not a fan of crowds. She enjoyed ice cream, french fries, a Pepsi and bought a Shania Twain T shirt! As soon as she heard Shania’s voice, Ruby jumped up from where we were sat and made her way through the crowd to get as close to the stage as she could. Ruby is brave, resilient, kind, and caring. We are all so proud of her!! Let's go girl!!!!
I just had to share this picture of Kevin testing out his new bike at the skate park this evening. Staff's words to me in their text was, "he's over the moon happy here at skatepark". Kevin has shown so much resilience and seeing him decked out in all his gear with this smile on his face is so touching. What a great kid we have!
This is too good not to share. Although it may have taken close to one year, I am happy to say we were able to get all our youth in one vehicle and on the way to Thurborn Lake campground.

The average person may read these examples and wonder what the fuss is about. Anyone who has worked with young people in out-of-home care will know exactly what the fuss is all about. These are examples of moments that change lives, and of the child and youth care workers who see the potential and celebrate the success.

The world – and our work – can often feel overwhelming. There are many things over which we have no control. It is easy to get stuck in a negative and hopeless mindset. When we focus on what we can control, take responsibility for our own actions, act with intentionality, exercise patience, and believe that we can make a difference, we will.